Neckartal Irrigation Scheme to create 11 000 jobs
Contractor to be appointed next year
The Keetmanshoop municipality has been urged to ensure that the town has the capacity to absorb the influx of people.
Government says the envisaged Neckartal Irrigation Scheme will create 11 000 jobs once it becomes fully operational.
The ministry of agriculture, water and land reform announced that the procurement of technical experts for the construction of irrigation systems at farm level is at an advanced stage.
Speaking at the official opening of the Keetmanshoop Agricultural, Industrial and Tourism Expo on Tuesday, minister Calle Schlettwein said the ministry plans to rope in consultants for the project next year.
“The Neckartal Irrigation Scheme alone will provide an estimated 11 000 jobs. Using a factor three for family size, the total number of people coming to the project may be an estimated 33 000,” Schlettwein said.
According to the minister, this means that the population of Keetmanshoop will double. He urged the government and the municipality to ensure that all the required infrastructure is in place to absorb the influx of people.
“We need houses, schools, clinics and hospitals, road infrastructure, bulk water and distribution infrastructure and power supply, to mention some. We need to start now with the town planning and budgeting for this very large capital expense.”
Strategic shift
Schlettwein emphasised that the competitiveness of the agricultural sector depends on secure and affordable sources of energy, water and fertilisers.
He said the strategic shift towards intensive agriculture demands that the nexus between water supply security and food security is strengthened. “This involves investments in replacing and upgrading our ageing water supply and distribution infrastructure, as well as developing additional water supply sources, including desalination of sea and brackish water, to be linked into our national integrated water supply system. This speaks to Namibia’s harsh climatic conditions, hence our prompt actions to inter-link various water sources across the country.”
The minister explained that due to water scarcity in Namibia being the most severe constraint for agricultural development, the ministry has undertaken the development of the irrigation scheme in two phases, with a combined total of 5 000 hectares of irrigable land involved.
“The development of Neckartal Irrigation Scheme Phase 1 utilises a gravity-fed system by tapping water from the newly constructed nearby balancing dam with a capacity of 90 000 cubic metres. The balancing dam is fed from the Neckartal Dam via a 1000 mm diameter pipe, using a pumping system.”
Schlettwein said the dam was constructed as a second phase development of the Naute Dam scheme, specifically to supply additional water for irrigation.
“The pipe network connecting the balancing dam to the Neckartal Dam has already been completed. The Neckartal Irrigation Scheme Phase 1 is to be developed mainly on the farms surrounding the balancing dam, which cover a combined area of approximately 10 064 hectares of land in total, of which 2 000 hectares are earmarked for irrigation development.”
The ministry of agriculture, water and land reform announced that the procurement of technical experts for the construction of irrigation systems at farm level is at an advanced stage.
Speaking at the official opening of the Keetmanshoop Agricultural, Industrial and Tourism Expo on Tuesday, minister Calle Schlettwein said the ministry plans to rope in consultants for the project next year.
“The Neckartal Irrigation Scheme alone will provide an estimated 11 000 jobs. Using a factor three for family size, the total number of people coming to the project may be an estimated 33 000,” Schlettwein said.
According to the minister, this means that the population of Keetmanshoop will double. He urged the government and the municipality to ensure that all the required infrastructure is in place to absorb the influx of people.
“We need houses, schools, clinics and hospitals, road infrastructure, bulk water and distribution infrastructure and power supply, to mention some. We need to start now with the town planning and budgeting for this very large capital expense.”
Strategic shift
Schlettwein emphasised that the competitiveness of the agricultural sector depends on secure and affordable sources of energy, water and fertilisers.
He said the strategic shift towards intensive agriculture demands that the nexus between water supply security and food security is strengthened. “This involves investments in replacing and upgrading our ageing water supply and distribution infrastructure, as well as developing additional water supply sources, including desalination of sea and brackish water, to be linked into our national integrated water supply system. This speaks to Namibia’s harsh climatic conditions, hence our prompt actions to inter-link various water sources across the country.”
The minister explained that due to water scarcity in Namibia being the most severe constraint for agricultural development, the ministry has undertaken the development of the irrigation scheme in two phases, with a combined total of 5 000 hectares of irrigable land involved.
“The development of Neckartal Irrigation Scheme Phase 1 utilises a gravity-fed system by tapping water from the newly constructed nearby balancing dam with a capacity of 90 000 cubic metres. The balancing dam is fed from the Neckartal Dam via a 1000 mm diameter pipe, using a pumping system.”
Schlettwein said the dam was constructed as a second phase development of the Naute Dam scheme, specifically to supply additional water for irrigation.
“The pipe network connecting the balancing dam to the Neckartal Dam has already been completed. The Neckartal Irrigation Scheme Phase 1 is to be developed mainly on the farms surrounding the balancing dam, which cover a combined area of approximately 10 064 hectares of land in total, of which 2 000 hectares are earmarked for irrigation development.”
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